Fuel-supply apparatus.



W; C. CARTER.

FUEL SUPPLY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1914.

LM& 1 3% Patented July 13, 1915. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. C. CARTER.

FUEL SUPPLY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLEYD IULY 6, 1914.

1, M 1 4o Patented July 13, 1915.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILLIAM C. CARTER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

FUEL-SUPPLY APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13, 1915.

Application filed July 6, 1914. Serial No. 849,353.

1/ '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fuel-Supply Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fuel supply devices for internal combustion engines, and particularly to devices of the type illustrated and described in my pending application for patent, Serial #825,130, filed March 16,

of the valved passageway seated in case the automobile on which the apparatus is 1nstalled is traveling down an incline or is arranged in such a position that the fuel in the pipe leading from the supply tank exerts pressure on said valve.

Another object is to provide a fuel supply device of the general type mentioned which comprises means for preventing carbon from the engine from entering the pump that draws the fuel from the source of supply and forces it into the reservoir which feeds the carburetor of the engine. And still another object is to provide a novel kind of valve mechanism for a fuel supply apparatus of the kind described in my pending application previously referred to.

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure l of the drawings is a side elevational view illustrating my improved fuel supply device applied to an internal combastion engine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged verlical sectional view of the reservoir, from which the fuel is supplied by gravity to the engine. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. t is a vertical sectional view taken on the line ell of Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views taken on the lines 5-5 and 66, respectively, of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the member at the lower end of the reservoir which sustains the vertically disposed tube that projects upwardly through the reservoir, and which also acts as a guide for the inlet valve. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the member in said tube that forms part of the valved passageway and also guides the shiftable member that carries the outlet valve; and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the outlet valve or discharge valve and the member that carries same.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate one form of my invention, A designates a fuel supply tank that holds a quantity of liquid fuel which is supplied to the carbureter B of an internal combustion engine C when the engine is in operation, and

D designates a reservoir arranged intermediate said supply tank and carbureter in such a position that the fuel will flow from same to the float chamber of the carbureter by gravity. A pump E of any preferred type or design is provided for drawing the fuel from the supply tank A and forcing it into the reservoir D, and means are provided for causing the supply of fuel to said reservoir D to cease automatically whenever the fuel in said reservoir exceeds. a certain quantity.

The apparatus herein shown is similar to the apparatus illustrated in my pending application previously referred to, in that it comprises a valved passageway F arranged intermediate the supply tank A and reservoir D and provided with an inlet and an outlet check valve that open automatically when the pump is in operation, 50 as to cause fuel to enter said passageway and be forced from same into the reservoir intermittently so long as the fuel in said reservoir remains below a certain level, but the check valves and also the means for automatically cutting off the supply of fuel to the valved passageway F are of slightly different construction from the correspon ing parts of the apparatus described in my pending application. The apparatus herein shown also differs from the apparatus described in my previously mentioned pending applicatiom'in that it comprises a means separate and distinct from the weight of the fuel in the valved passageway F for holding the inlet valve seated in case the supply tank A. becomes arranged in a higher horizontal plane than said inlet valve.

The pump E that I prefer to use is of the diaphragm type and consists of a casing formed by two disk-shaped members 1 whose peripheral edge portions clamp the peripheral edge portion of a diaphragm 2, to which they are clamped tightly by rivets or bolts 3 that pass transversely through said parts. The diaphragm 2 of the pump may either be plain or corrugated and formed from any suitable material. Tn practice I prefer to form the diaphragm 2 from vanadium steel and arrange a coiled compression spring &-on one side of same, the side next to the valved passageway, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to move the diaphragm in one direction. The other side of the casing of the pump in which the diaphragm is arranged is connected by means of a pipe 5 with one cylinder of the engine or with the exhaust pipe of the engine, so that pressure will be exerted on the diaphragm to move it in the opposite direction. A screening device is combined with said pipe 5 so as to prevent the carbon from the engine from entering the casing of the pump E, and in the form of my invention shown in Fig. 2 said screening device consists of a cylindrical-shaped screen 6 that is arranged in a tubular-shaped member 7 on one side of the pump easing into which the pipe 5 leads. The lower end of said member 7, is closed by a cap nut 8 which is provided with a chamber 8 for receiving the carbon thatenters through the pipe 5, and which is collected by the screen 6, and said tubular-shaped member 7 is provided at one side with a boss 7 that is screwed into one of the disks that form part of the casing of the pump E. The spring 4 0n the opposite side of the diaphragm of the pump is arranged in a chamber formed in a nipple 9 that is screwed into one side of the pump casing and also tapped into a boss 10 on the lower end of the reservoir D which has an opening 10 that leads to the valved passageway .F of the apparatus, thus establishing direct communication between the pump and the passageway F. When the engine is in operation the pump E draws a charge of fuel into the passageway T when the diaphragm 2 of the pump moves in one direction and forces said charge out of the passageway and into the reservoir when the diaphragm 2 of the pump moves in the opposite direction.

In the apparatus herein shown an inlet check valve 11 is provided for controlling the flow of fuel into the valved passageway F, and an outlet check valve 12 is provided for controlling the flow of the fuel from the passageway Finto the reservoir l). The

inlet valve 11 preferably consists of a horizontally disposed disk as shown in Fig. 2 that is seated on the upper side of a nipple 13 that connects the fuel supply pipe 13 to the boss 10 on the lower end of the reservoir D. The outlet valve or discharge valve 12 preferably consists of a flap valve or swinging valve that normally closes an outlet port or discharge port 12 formed in the side wall of the passageway F adjacent the upper end of same, as shown in Fig. 2, said outlet valve 12 opening outwardly or away from the passageway F so as to permit the fuel to escape from said passageway into the reservoir D.

' or rather into a vertically disposed tube l-L that'projects upwardly through said reservoir. This tube 14. is supported by a member 15 that is screwed into the bottom of the reservoir D, and which is provided at its lower end with a guide 16 that receives a stem 11 on the top side of the inlet valve 11, thus guiding said inlet valve properly and preventing it from canting. The outlet valve 12 is preferably carried by a shiftable member 17 whose position is governed by the float in the reservoir I), said member and float being connected together in such a manner that after a certain quantity of fuel has entered the reservoir D the member 17 will shift automatically into such a position that the valve 12 on said member will not cover the discharge port 12 through which the fuel escapes from the passageway F. A member G that is arranged in the lower end of the tube 14 forms the top wall and also a portion of one of the side walls of the valved passageway F, and. in addition to this'function, acts as a guiding and retaining device for the shiftable member 17 which carries the discharge valve 12.

The member G may be described as consisting of a hollow member provided at its lower end with a cylindrical-shaped part 18 that fits snugly inside of the tube 14 and having a reduced upper portion of about one-half the diameter of the lower portion, 18. the discharge port 12 being formed in the vertical wall of said upper reduced portion. as shown in Fig. 8. and

the valve 12 being arranged on the outside of said wall, as shown in Fig. 2. At the upper end of the member G is a pair of vertically disposed guides 19 that embrace the valve-carrying member 17. and thus holds said member in an upright position in the tube lei. the lower edge of the valve carrying member 17 norn'ially rest'ag on a stop 20 between the guides 19.

valve 12 is hinged on pivotally connected to the member 17 in such a manner that it can swing outwardly away from the Vertical wall of the passageway F in which the discharge port 12 is formed, the valve 12 herein shown being provided with a hook 12 that projects through an opening 12 in the valve-carrying member 17, as shown clearly in Fig. 4. A dependingportion 17 on the valve-carrying member 17 that lies between the valve 12 and the inner side of the tube 14 acts as a stop to limit the 12 will lap over the port 12, but means are provided for automatically shifting the member 17 into such a position that the valve 12 will not close the port 12 when the fuel in the reservoirD rises above a certain level. In the form of my invention herein shown said means consists of a rod 21 that connects the valve-carrying member 17 with the float 22 that is arranged inside of the reservoir D, said rod being arranged inside of the tube 14 and provided with a spider or guiding device 23 that cooperates with the tube 14: to center said rod, and thus accurately guide the valve-carrying member 17.

Tn order to eliminate the possibility of the fuel from the supply tank A flowing into the reservoir D and flooding same, in case the supply tank A becomes arranged in such a position that gravity will cause the fuel to flow from same toward the valved passageway F and exert pressure on the inlet valve 11, as, for example, in case the automobile on which the apparatus is installed is on an incline, I have provided means separate and distinct'from the weight of the fuel in the passageway F for holding the inlet valve 11 seated. Said means preferably consists of a spring 24: that exerts suflicient downward pressure on the valve 11 to hold it seated, even when the supply tank A is arranged in a higher horizontal plane than the reservoir D, or the passageway F, said spring 21 being weaker than the spring at of the pump .ll so that the valve 11 will be unseated by the suction exerted on same when the pump is in operation. While I prefer to employ a spring for holding the inlet valve seated, I wish it to be understood that my invention is above which they lie, so that not limited to the use of a spring of the particular construction herein shown, or, in fact, to any particular kind of means for preventing the inlet valve opening accidentally. for my broad idea consists in a fuel supply apparatus of the type described, in which the means that governs the admission offuel to the valved passageway between the supply tank and the reservoir D is so designed that the pressure which the fuel exerts on the inlet valve when the automobile is traveling down an incline will not be suflicient to force the inlet valve open and thus flood the reservoir D. The spring 24 herein shown is a coiled expansion spring that is seated in the pocket in the lower end of the member G and Whose lower end projects into the stem 11" of the inlet valve that projects upwardly through the guide 16 on the member 15.

The reservoir D is provided with a removable cover 25 that is retained in position by means of a flat leaf spring 26 on the underside of same whose end portions project under inwardly projecting stops 27 on the side walls of the reservoir D. Said spring 26 is connected toa boss 28 on the underside of the cover 25, which is provided with a vent opening 29 that has lateral inlets 29, as shown in Fig. 2, the intermediate portion of said spring being Wide enough so that it will prevent the fuel from splashing upwardly into the vent open-, ing 29. Y

When the engine is in operation charges of fuel Will be drawn into the valved passageway F and forced into the reservoir D intermittently, so long as the fuel in the reservoir D remains below a certain level, the movement of the diaphragm 2 of the pump E inone direction opening the inlet valve 11 and causing a charge of fuel to be drawn into the passageway F, and the movement of said diaphragm in the opposite direction causing said charge to be forced out of said passageway through the discharge port 12 into the tube 14 whose upper end opens in the reservoir D. So long as the fuel in the reservoir D remains below a certain level a charge of fuel will be forced into the reservoir at each cycle of operations of the pump E, but as soon as the float 22 in said reservoir rises high enough, to shift the valve-carrying member 17 into such a position that the discharge valve 12'does not cover the port 12, the supply of fuel to the passageway F will cease automatically, owingto the fact that saidpassageway F will then be in communication with the reservoir, and consequently, the suction and pressure which the pump creates in the passageway P will merely cause the fuel to surge back and forth between said reservoir and passageway through the port 12. When the level of the fuel in the reservoir D drops the valve-carrying member 17 will move automatically back to its normal position, and thus cause the valve 12 to lap over the discharge port 12 so that on the succeeding stroke of the pump sufficient suction will be created in the passageway F to unseat the inlet valve 11 and draw a charge of fuel into said passageway from the supply tank.

While I prefer to out ofl the flow of fuel to the passageway F by holding the discharge valve 12 open so long as a certain quantity of fuel remains in the reservoir D, I do not wish it to be understood that my invention is limited to an apparatus of this type in which the supply of fuel to said passageway is governed in this manner, for the supply of fuel to the passageway F could be interrupted in various other ways without departing from the spirit of my invention.

In an apparatus of the character de scribed there is no possibility of the reservoir D being flooded in case the supply tank A becomes arranged in a higher horizontal plane than the reservoir, or, in other words, arranged in such a position that the fuel will flow by gravity to the valved passageway F and exert pressure on the inlet valve, owing to the fact that means are provided for counteracting any tendency of the inlet valve 11 to open when the fuel in the pipe leading from the supply tank exerts pressure on said valve. Another desirable feature of such an apparatus is that it comprises means for preventing carbon from the engine from entering the pump E, which means is so designed that it can be cleaned easily to remove the carbon that collects therein. And still another desirable feature of such an apparatus is the simplicity and certainty of operation of the inlet and outlet check valves of the valved passageway through which the fuel has to pass before entering the reservoir D.

llaving thus described my invention,what I claim is:

1. A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is fed to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel, means for drawing fuel from the source of supply into said passageway and thereafter forcing said fuel into said reservoir, and an inlet valve mechanism in said passageway con structed in such a manner that it will not open accidentally 'in' case fuel from the source of supply exerts pressure on same.

A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is fed to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel, means incense for drawing fuel from the source of supply into said passageway and thereafter forcing said fuel into said reservoir, an inlet valve for said passageway, and means for holding said valve seated in case the supply of fuel becomes arranged in a higher horizontal plane than said valve.

3. A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is fed to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel, means for drawing fuel from the source of supply into said passageway and thereafter forcing said fuel into said reservoir, an inlet valve for said passageway, and a spring which exerts pressure on said valve and prevents it from opening accidentally.

4. A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel means for drawing charges of fuel into said passageway and forcing said charges into said reservoir intermittently, means for causing the supply of fuel to said reservoir to cease automatically when the fuel in the reservoir exceeds a certain quantity, an inlet valve for said passageway, and means for preventing said inlet valve from opening accidentally in case the supply of fuel becomes arranged in such a position that said inlet valve is subjected to the pressure of the weight of the fuel in the supply line leading to the passageway.

5. A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by-gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel, an inlet check valve for said passageway, a swinging outlet check valve for said passageway, and means for drawing charges of fuel into said passageway and forcing said charges into said reservoir.

6. A fuel supply device for internal coinbustion engines, comprising a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravfity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel,

an inlet check valve for said passageway, a swinging outlet check valve for said passageway, means for drawing charges of fuel into said passageway and forcing said charges into said reservoir, a member which carries said outlet valve, and means for shifting said valve-cm'rying member into such a position after a certain quantity of fuel has entered said reservoir that said out let valve will be inoperative.

7. in a fuel supply device of the character described, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a pa:-

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sageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel and having a vertical wall that is provided with a port, an inlet check valve for said passageway, a pivotally mounted outlet valve arranged on the outside of said passageway for controlling the port in the vertical wall of said pas' sageway, and a pump communicating with said passageway intermediate said valves.

8. In a fuel supply device of the character described, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel and having a vertical wall that is provided with a port, an inlet check valve for said passageway, a pivotally mounted outlet valve arranged on the outside of said passageway for controlling the port in the vertical wall of said passageway, a pump communicating with said passageway intermediate said valves, and means for automatically shifting said outlet valve into an inoperative position when the fuel in said reservoir rises above a certain level.

9. In a fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel provided with an inlet alve and with a swinging outlet valve, a vertically disposed tube projecting upwardly from the bottom of said reservoir, and a shiftablc member in said tube cari'ying said outlet valve and whose position is governed by the level of the fuel in said reservoir.

10. In a fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel provided with an inlet valve and with a swinging outlet valve, a vertically disposed tube projecting upwardly from the bottom of said reservoir, a shiftable member in said tube carrying said outlet valve and whose position is governed by the level of the fuel in said reservoir, means in said tube for guiding said valve-carrying member vertically, and meanson said valve-carrying member for limiting the movement of said outlet valve.

11. In a fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a hollow member projecting upwardly into said reservoir and provided With a vertical wall in which a port is formed, a flap valve arranged on the outside of said wall for closing said port, and a shiftable member that carries said valve.

12. In a fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a hollow member projecting upwardly into said reservoir and provided with a vertical wall in which a port is formed, a flap valve arranged on the outside of said wall for closing said port, a 'shiftable member that carries said valve, vertically disposed guides in which said valve-carrying member is guided vertically, and a float in said reser voir connected to said valve-carrying member.

- 13. In a fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir from which fuel is supplied to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel, an outlet valve for said passageway, a horizontally disposed disk-shaped inlet valve for said passageway, a stem on said inlet valve, a stationary guide through which said stem passes, and a pump communicating with said passageway intermediate said valves.

14. In a-fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, a reservoir, a vertically disposed tube projecting upwardly through said reservoir, a hollow member in said tube forming part of a valved passageway and having a vertical wall in which an outlet port is formed. a shiftable valve-carrying member in said tube provided with a flap valve that cooperates with said port, and vertically disposed guides on said member that embrace said valve-carrying member.

15. A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising a reservoir for supplying fuel to the engine by, gravity, means for drawing charges of fuel from a source of supply and forcing said charges into said reservoir intermittently; a removable cover for said reservoir having a vent opening formed therein, and a retaining device for said cover which is so arranged that the fuel in said reservoir cannot splash out of the vent opening in said cover.

16. In a fuel supply device of the character described, a reservoir, a removable cover for said reservoir, a boss on the underside of said cover provided with a vertically disposed vent opening that-has lateral inlets, and a retaining device for said cover connected to said boss in such a manner that it prevents the fuel from splashing out of said vent opening.

17.A fuel supply device for internal combustion engines, comprising areservoir for supplying fuel to the engine by gravity, a passageway arranged intermediate said reservoir and a supply of liquid fuel and provided with an inlet valve, a pivotally mounted outlet valve for said passageway,

, a spring that exerts pressure on said inlet valve, a diaphragm pump having one side of its casing connected with said passage- Way intermediate said Valves and the other In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my smile of said casing connected with a cyhnsignature 1n the presence of two witnesses, der or \vlth the exhaust pipe of the engine, this thirtieth day or June 1914:.

and means in said reservoir for automati- \VILLIAM C. CARTER. 5 why shifting said outlet valve into an in- Witnesses:

operative DOSitlOIl whenever the fuel in said V. L. (Human,

reservoir rises above a certain level. GEORGE BAKEWI-JLL. 

